Department of
Public Administration and Policy
Faculty Manual
August 2015
This does not constitute an employment contract.
Department of Public Administration and Policy
Faculty Manual
Table of Contents
PART I:
DPAP Vision Statement (p. 1)
I. Research (p. 1)
II. Teaching (p. 1)
III. Service (p. 1)
PART II:
Faculty Action Procedures (pp. 2-9)
I. Participation and Voting on Faculty Actions (pp. 2-3)
A. Eligibility (p. 2)
B. Voting Process (p. 2)
C. Confidentiality (p. 3)
II. Initial Appointment Procedures (pp. 3-4)
A. Tenure-Line Faculty (pp. 3-4)
B. Term Faculty (p. 4)
C. Adjunct Faculty (p. 4)
III. Pre-Tenure Faculty Mentoring and Reappointment, Tenure-Line Faculty (pp. 4-6)
A. Pre-Tenure Mentoring Committee (p. 5)
B. Annual Review and Assessment (pp. 5-6)
C. Third-Year Review (p. 6)
IV. Sixth-Year Tenure-and-Promotion Procedures (pp. 6-7)
V. Reappointment and Promotion of Term Faculty (pp. 7-9)
A. Reappointments (p. 8)
B. Promotion to Associate Professor (pp. 8-9)
1. Teaching (p. 8)
2. Research (p. 8)
3. Service (pp. 8-9)
PART III:
Criteria for Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor and Full Professor, Tenure-Line
Faculty (pp. 10-17)
General Expectations for Promotion to Associate or Full Professor (pp. 10-14)
Research (pp. 10-12)
This does not constitute an employment contract.
Teaching and Advising (pp. 12-13)
Service (pp. 13-14)
I. Promotion to Associate Professor (pp. 14-15)
A. Research (p. 14)
B. Teaching (pp. 14-15)
C. Service (p. 15)
II. Promotion to Full Professor (pp. 15-17)
A. Research (p. 15)
B. Teaching (p. 16)
C. Service (pp. 16-17)
PART IV:
Processes and Criteria Governing Annual Merit Reviews and Course Load Assignments
(pp. 18-21)
I. Merit and Workload Criteria (pp. 18-20)
A. Tenured Faculty (pp. 18-20)
1. Research Productivity (see Part III for specific research criteria involved
in merit and workload decisions) (pp. 18-19)
2. Teaching Productivity and Quality (see Part III for specific teaching
criteria) (p. 19)
3. Service Productivity and Quality (see Part III for specific service criteria)
(p. 19)
4. Relative Weights (pp. 19-20)
B. Junior Tenure-Track Faculty and New Associate Professors (p. 20)
C. Term Faculty (p. 20)
II. Workload and Merit Review Processes (pp. 20-21)
A. Department Ratings (p. 20)
B. Annual Letter of Review (pp. 20-21)
C. Biannual Performance Evaluation (p. 21)
D. Term Faculty (p. 21)
PART V:
Standards for Faculty Maintaining a “Campus Presence” (p. 22)
This does not constitute an employment contract.
PART I:
DPAP Vision Statement
The Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP) aspires to meet the highest
standards in three mission areas: (1) research that shapes both theory and practice, (2) the
provision of professional education of lasting value to our graduates, and (3) service to
the university, the profession and community.
I. Research
Tenure-line faculty are expected to advance knowledge by publishing in respected peerreviewed outlets, with an emphasis on high-impact contributions. We encourage our
faculty to produce research that makes important contributions to knowledge and theory
with the potential to influence practice.
II. Teaching
We provide a professional education in public administration and policy through six
degree programs, each with a distinctive operating context but all focused on an
overarching goal of promoting public service:
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Key Executive MPA
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD)
Online Master of Public Administration & Policy (MPAP)
PhD in Public Administration
III. Service
We expect our faculty to promote our public service mission in three ways: (1) by
engaging in departmental and university governance; (2) by serving on committees, task
forces, and boards associated with relevant membership organizations in the field; and (3)
by serving the broader community where possible through applied research, consulting,
or other community involvement.
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PART II:
Faculty Action Procedures
I. Participation and Voting on Faculty Actions
A. Eligibility
The following guidelines will govern DPAP faculty participation and voting on full-time1
faculty actions:
Faculty action
Appointment of faculty affiliates
Initial appointment of term faculty
Initial appointment of tenure-line
faculty
Reappointment or promotion of
term faculty
Reappointment of pre-tenure tenureline faculty
Promotion and tenure to associate
professor
Promotion to full professor
Eligible to provide
feedback and
participate in meetings
All full-time faculty
All full-time faculty
All full-time faculty
Eligible to vote
All full-time faculty
All tenured faculty
All tenure-line
faculty2
All tenured faculty
All tenured faculty
All tenured faculty
All full professors
All full professors
All full-time faculty
All full-time faculty
All tenure-line faculty
B. Voting Process
Votes on all faculty actions will be taken via secret ballot and reported in the Chair’s
recommendation to the Dean. Votes are usually taken in formal faculty meetings, but
voting on initial appointments may be done electronically under unusual circumstances
(e.g., rapid responses needed for counter-offers, over holidays, and over summers). In the
event of an online vote, a DPAP administrative staff member will be responsible for
collecting and tallying votes to protect voter anonymity. Voting on promotion and tenure
(P&T) will take place in person, except under exceptional circumstances (outlined in
Section IV, paragraph 4 below).
Eligible faculty (see Eligibility above) will vote yes, no, or abstain on all faculty actions.
Abstentions will not be treated as negative votes.
C. Confidentiality
1
All faculty actions related to part-time adjunct instructors are at the discretion of the Chair, in consultation
with DPAP program directors and subject to the approval of the Dean. Full-time faculty may provide
feedback on adjunct instructors, but there is no departmental vote.
2
The Chair is responsible for term faculty reappointment, subject to the approval of the Dean, but will
solicit a “sense of the faculty” as specified in Part II, Section V.
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
In accordance with the revised AU Faculty Manual, all who participate in faculty action
processes at any stage must respect the confidentiality of the process and cannot reveal to
anyone the votes, names, or views of reviewers; contents of discussions; or contents of
the file. Breaches of confidentiality may subject a faculty or staff member to disciplinary
action.
II. Initial Appointment Procedures
A. Tenure-Line Faculty
Hiring priorities for tenure-line positions should reflect DPAP’s strategic vision but with
enough flexibility to take advantage of changing environments and unanticipated
opportunities.
Once a faculty line is authorized, the Chair will appoint a recruitment committee during
the Spring semester prior to the recruitment year. The committee will be expected to
begin outreach by proactively targeting candidates over the summer prior to the start of
the recruitment year. The committee will typically consist of three tenure-line members
with expertise in the field in which candidates are sought, but larger committees may be
constituted in unique circumstances.
Once it has reviewed applications, the recruitment committee will recommend a list of
candidates to be invited for on-campus interviews. Its recommendation will typically be
made in a meeting of the full-time faculty and will include a summary of candidate
qualifications. While all full-time faculty are eligible to participate in discussions about
the list of on-campus interviewees, only tenure-line faculty will vote on whether to
approve the list.
The recruitment committee will then work with the DPAP administrative staff to
coordinate on-campus interviews, and all full-time faculty are expected to participate in
the process by attending each candidate’s research presentation and/or meeting with the
applicant individually.
After the conclusion of on-campus interviews, the recruitment committee will make a
hiring recommendation in a meeting of the full-time faculty. The recommendation will
include a summary of the recommended candidate’s qualifications and a justification for
choosing him or her above the others in the pool. The recommendation is by no means
binding but rather a starting point for a comprehensive discussion about the strengths and
weaknesses of all interviewees. Voting will follow the guidelines outlined in the
Eligibility and Voting Process sections above.
The Chair will write a recommendation memo to the Dean that reports the results of the
vote and summarizes the qualifications of the recommended candidate. If the Chair
disagrees with the vote, s/he may proceed to make a recommendation contrary to the
faculty vote but must offer an explanation that will be forwarded to the Dean and the
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faculty. In this case, a single dissenting report can be written by the faculty and included
in the record.
B. Term Faculty
Hiring for term faculty positions (e.g., instructor, professorial lecturer, in-residence) is
normally for a period of up to five years, subject to approval by the department, SPA
Dean, and the Dean of Academic Affairs as described in Section V. All term faculty will
receive merit reviews based on submitted annual reviews (FARS). Generally, term
faculty members teach six courses per academic year; exceptions are valid when
specified in the annual contract. Initial appointment will normally require the candidate
to engage with the faculty in a formal session (e.g., a research presentation or a
presentation on how career experiences qualify them for teaching and/or research on the
DPAP faculty commensurate with assigned duties). Criteria for selection of candidates
for positions in executive programs will include a consideration of proven teaching
ability, professional work history and public profile, and publications, consistent with
position responsibilities. Faculty voting will follow the guidelines outlined in the
Eligibility and Voting Process provisions in Part I, A. and B. The Chair’s
recommendation will follow the guidelines outlined in the final paragraph of Section A
above.
C. Adjunct Faculty
The Chair, in consultation with DPAP program directors and subject to the approval of
the Dean, is responsible for all faculty actions related to part-time adjunct instructors.
While full-time faculty members are welcome to provide feedback on the performance of
these instructors, there is no departmental vote taken on part-time adjunct instructors.
D. Affiliate Faculty
A faculty affiliate appointment is a formal relationship between DPAP and a faculty
member whose primary appointment is in another department. While not participating in
the governance of DPAP, faculty affiliates will contribute to DPAP’s mission. Faculty
affiliates can be nominated by any full-time member of the faculty. Typically, only
tenured/continuing appointment faculty members are eligible for such an appointment.
The term of an affiliate appointment may vary from one to three years and may be
renewed. Appointments are subject to approval by the department full-time faculty,
DPAP Chair, SPA Dean, and the Dean of Academic Affairs as well as the affiliate’s
department chair, rank and tenure committee, if appropriate, and Dean. Faculty voting
will follow the guidelines outlined in the Eligibility and Voting Process provisions in Part
I, A. and B. The Chair’s recommendation will follow the guidelines outlined in the final
paragraph of Section A above.
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III. Pre-Tenure Faculty Mentoring and Reappointment, Tenure-Line
Faculty
DPAP follows all guidelines on pre-tenure reappointment outlined in the AU Faculty
Manual. Pre-tenure faculty are typically appointed for an initial period of three years,
subject to sufficient progress toward P&T. Pre-tenure faculty receive an annual
evaluation at the department level and a more extensive evaluation at the department,
school, and university levels in their third year. Those who receive a favorable evaluation
in the third-year review are typically reappointed for a second three-year term, followed
by eligibility for P&T.
DPAP provides comprehensive support for pre-tenure faculty in making progress toward
P&T. All new tenure-line faculty will be provided with the tenure-and-promotion guidelines
articulated in this document and in the AU Faculty Manual. DPAP also commits to the
following:
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Establishing a mentoring committee for each pre-tenure faculty member
Convening an annual meeting of tenured faculty to evaluate the progress of pretenure faculty and formally vote on reappointment
Establishing a third-year review committee to evaluate the progress of pre-tenure
faculty more extensively in conjunction with school- and university-level
reappointment processes
DPAP’s implementation strategies for these three steps are outlined in greater detail in
the sections below.
A. Pre-Tenure Mentoring Committee
The Chair will establish a mentoring committee for each pre-tenure faculty member,
usually by the second semester of employment. The mentoring committee has four
primary objectives: (1) to ensure that the mentee has a sense of departmental
expectations; (2) to give general career advice and guidance to the mentee; (3) to give the
mentee feedback on his or her research and teaching, as needed; and (4) to play a primary
role in departmental deliberations about reappointment, tenure, and promotion. It is
expected that the mentoring committee will meet at least once each year with the mentee.
The committee will be comprised of three DPAP faculty members, at least one of whom
specializes in an area similar to that of the mentee. Mentoring committee members should
be tenured unless circumstances dictate otherwise.
The mentoring committee is not intended to be a substitute for guidance and mentoring
by other tenured faculty or scholars at other institutions. All tenured faculty are expected
to be available to pre-tenure faculty for guidance and feedback, and junior faculty are
encouraged to go outside their mentoring committee for advice. It is understood that the
advice of mentoring committees and mentors is advisory only and does not bind the
university to take any particular action—positive or negative—in the mentee’s
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reappointment, tenure, or promotion.
B. Annual Review and Assessment
Tenured members of the DPAP faculty are convened each Spring semester for a
discussion and assessment of pre-tenure faculty. Pre-tenure faculty will be asked to
provide a CV (and other supporting materials as needed) two weeks prior to this meeting.
During the meeting, each pre-tenure faculty member’s mentoring committee presents a
balanced assessment of the candidate’s progress toward P&T as a starting point for
discussion. The role of mentoring committees is to provide information to the larger
faculty and facilitate discussion, not to issue a formal recommendation for or against
reappointment.
Following deliberation, tenured members of the faculty indicate their assessment of the pretenure faculty member (satisfactory progress, unsatisfactory progress, etc) by secret ballot.
Results of the assessment are communicated in writing by the Chair to each pre-tenure
faculty member as soon as possible, along with the Chair’s independent views of the
candidate’s record.
C. Third-Year Review
In accordance with the AU Faculty Manual, pre-tenure faculty receive a more extensive
review during their third year of service. At this stage, candidates assemble a dossier that is
similar to that required for a P&T decision but without external letters. A Third-Year
Review Committee is appointed by the Chair to assess the candidate’s dossier and to
provide a written assessment of progress made toward P&T. That committee will normally
consist of the members of the candidate’s mentoring committee, but in no case shall it be
comprised of fewer than three members.
All tenured faculty will meet to discuss the report of the Third-Year Review Committee. At
the conclusion of the meeting, all tenured faculty members except the Chair vote by secret
ballot on the candidate’s reappointment. The Chair participates in deliberations, but does not
vote, and writes an independent reappointment recommendation to the Dean. A tenured
faculty member designated by the Chair will prepare a report on the meeting of the
tenured faculty that summarizes the discussion, pro and con, and reports the results of the
four votes (research, teaching, service, overall). Typically this will be the chair of the
candidate’s mentoring committee, but the chair may appoint someone else to do so. That
report will be added to the file for action and communicated to the candidate. The Chair
may deviate from the faculty’s recommendation but must explain why s/he does so in his/her
recommendation to the Dean and forward a copy of the letter to the faculty. The Chair’s
recommendation will be added to the file for action.
IV. Sixth-Year Tenure-and-Promotion Procedures
Following eligibility, scheduling, and content standards for P&T stated in the Faculty
Manual, candidates will compile a dossier during the Spring semester of the fifth year for
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review before a vote by tenured faculty members in the Fall semester of the sixth year. In
addition to materials incorporated in the third-year review, a minimum of five outside
letters of recommendation will be obtained. Early in the Spring semester of the fifth year, a
candidate eligible for P&T will work with his/her mentoring committee to identify a list of
six potential outside reviewers for the purpose of reviewing the candidate’s dossier (using
criteria listed in the Faculty Manual) during the summer between the fifth and sixth years.
This list of reviewers will be added to six names suggested by the Chair, for a total of twelve
possible reviewers that will be submitted to the Dean. The Dean will consult with the Chair
to select six of these individuals as reviewers, and in the event that fewer than five are able to
serve, the Dean will identify others from the list as necessary. The candidate may also
submit a list of names that he or she does not wish to be considered as a reviewer.
The chair will also appoint a three-member committee to become a candidate’s Promotionand-Tenure Review Committee (PTRC). Normally, the PTRC will consist of the members
of the candidate’s mentoring committee, but in no case shall it be comprised of fewer than
three members. If a mentoring committee lacks three members, the Chair will appoint other
faculty members to the review committee. In a meeting during the Fall semester, the PTRC
will examine the candidate’s record and report its findings to other members of the tenured
faculty. Findings include, but are not limited to, the strengths and weaknesses in a candidate’s
research, teaching, and service record. The PTRC for the candidate is not an advocacy body
but rather presents a balanced review of the candidate’s record in these areas to the faculty.
All tenured faculty, however, are expected to have read the file and participated in
deliberations.
The complete file for action, including unredacted letters, will be made available to all
tenured faculty above the candidate’s rank at least two weeks prior to a meeting of the
tenured faculty to discuss the case, following the processes articulated by the Faculty
Manual. Participants in the meeting, except for the Chair, will vote by secret ballot on
whether the candidate has met the requirements for P&T. As noted above in Section II,
all tenured faculty are eligible to vote on candidates for P&T to associate professor.
Candidates for the rank of full professor will be evaluated only by faculty members holding
that rank.
A tenured faculty member must attend the faculty meeting in person or via
telecommunication in order to cast a ballot. The Chair and tenured faculty will be
sensitive to the candidate's privacy interests in discussing the meeting and viewpoints
expressed with individuals not in attendance at the meeting (see also Section II,
Confidentiality).
A tenured faculty member designated by the Chair will prepare a report on the meeting of
the tenured faculty that summarizes the discussion, pro and con, and reports the results of
the four votes (research, teaching, service, overall). Typically this will be the chair of the
candidate’s mentoring committee, but the chair may appoint someone else to do so. That
report will be added to the file for action and communicated to the candidate. The Chair
participates in deliberations, but does not vote, and writes an independent reappointment
recommendation to the Dean. The Chair may deviate from the faculty’s recommendation but
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must explain why s/he does so in his/her recommendation to the Dean and forward a copy of
the letter to the faculty. The Chair’s recommendation will be added to the file for action,
and will be communicated to the candidate through the dean’s office. The candidate will
have the normal time to respond to the Chair’s recommendation before the Dean’s
independent review of the case.
In sum, for the following P&T components are required in DPAP:

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
a vote count of tenured faculty on the candidate
a written recommendation from the department Chair
a written summary of the meeting of the tenured faculty of for review of the
tenure case
The complete file will also include a written recommendation from the SPA Dean. .
V. Reappointment and Promotion of Term Faculty
For reappointments of term faculty, the Chair will solicit a secret ballot “sense of the
faculty” and reflect that sense in the reappointment memo to the Dean. The Chair may
deviate from the faculty’s recommendation but must explain why s/he does so in his/her
recommendation to the Dean and forward a copy of the letter to the voting faculty.
For promotion of a term faculty member to Associate Professor, the deliberation and voting
procedures used for promotion of tenure-line faculty to associate professor are followed, but
all tenure-line faculty are eligible to vote.
A. Reappointments
Term faculty may be reappointed for periods up to five years, subject to approval of the
Dean, DAA, and Provost.
Reappointments are contingent upon the satisfaction of the expectations contained in the
original appointment or most recent reappointment contracts. If the two contracts differ,
the most recent contract is determinative.
The reappointment decision takes into account the expectation that, as part of their
teaching responsibilities, full-time term faculty members maintain a campus presence that
reflects a commitment to connecting with students and to the university community.
The reappointment of the term faculty takes effect only by notice from the Dean of
Academic Affairs. Standard American University due process procedures for term
faculty apply.
B. Promotion to Associate Professor
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In addition to the expectations outlined in the appointment and reappointment contracts,
term faculty members who are promoted or appointed to Associate Professor must hold
the terminal degree in the field or have equivalent professional experience and have
demonstrated achievement in teaching, scholarship, and service as outlined below.
1. Teaching
The evidence should demonstrate unequivocally that the faculty member is an effective
teacher and adviser of graduate students in an interdisciplinary, graduate professional
program. When appropriate, the faculty member is expected to serve on doctoral
dissertation committees.
2. Research
Successful term faculty candidates for promotion to the rank of associate professor are
expected to demonstrate an active and sustained research agenda commensurate with rank,
as indicated by publications in high-quality refereed outlets as judged by the faculty, and
consistent with the department mission.
3. Service
As noted elsewhere, full-time term faculty members maintain a campus presence that
reflects a commitment to connecting with students and to the university community.
Accordingly, term faculty members will be asked to perform some committee service at
the departmental, school, and/or university level, taking into account time demands of
teaching responsibilities.
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PART III:
Criteria for Promotion and Tenure to Associate Professor
and Full Professor, Tenure-Line Faculty
General Expectations for Promotion to Associate or Full Professor
As noted above, successful candidates for P&T to the rank of associate professor are
expected to demonstrate excellence in research, as well as the likelihood of continuing that
excellence. They do this by publishing high-quality scholarship in refereed outlets, by
achieving emerging recognition as nationally or internationally known experts in their
fields of specialization, and by producing evidence of a research program that is likely to
continue in the future, as well as by demonstrating effective performance in teaching and
service. Successful candidates for promotion to full professor are expected to demonstrate
national or international recognition as authorities in their fields and exhibit strong
likelihood of maintaining and enhancing that stature into the future.
In assessing the qualifications of a candidate for promotion and/or tenure, the following
relative weight should ordinarily be ordered in the following manner: (a)
research/publication will be given priority over teaching; (b) teaching effectiveness is a
necessity for promotion/and or tenure, but it will not be a sufficient condition by itself;
(c) contributions to public/university/department service are necessary but should be
considered of lesser importance than research/publication and teaching effectiveness for
P&T decisions.
Research
DPAP aims to be among the top five public administration/public management and
policy departments in the country. Accordingly, high profile, influential (in the field and
in practice), and rigorous scholarship are expected of all faculty, most especially as they
accumulate increasing numbers of years of service. Scholarship may be anchored in a
faculty member’s disciplinary education and training and should appear in respected
peer-reviewed outlets appropriate for their discipline and subjects. Faculty may focus
scholarship on a range of public administration, public management, public policy, and
nonprofit management topics and find appropriate outlets for these works.
Basic responsibilities in the area of research/scholarship include the following:


Faculty members are expected to remain current in the research and scholarly
literature in public administration and policy and their subfields. Evidence of such
currency is found in an active and productive research program.

Faculty members maintain an active research program of scholarly publications
and presentations.
Faculty members seek research grants to support scholarly activity when appropriate,
available, and conducive to professional development and P&T. Opportunity costs
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and probabilities of success in competing for grants and/or contracts vary across
fields, subfields, and grant funding opportunities. These costs should be weighed in
deciding to pursue funding opportunities and should not negatively affect advancing
research productivity and impact, especially for junior faculty.
In assessing the quality and quantity of published works, DPAP is guided by the
following considerations:
1. At the most general level, greatest weight will be given to published high-quality work
with demonstrated scholarly and academic impact. Impact on practice will also be valued.
2. With this in mind, the following list of publication outlets provides a guide to
departmental evaluation of publications:

Articles in refereed journals, with top-tier journals given greater weight than
second- or third-tier journals.

Books reflecting original scholarship and research (with university presses
normally given higher weight than commercial presses).

Edited scholarly books.

Original chapters in scholarly books.

Textbooks.

Refereed reports and working papers issued by respected institutions.
3. Our fields (public administration and public policy) value both single- and multiauthored publications. In evaluating multi-authored publications, the candidate should
provide information describing the extent of his/her participation in research and writing
of the publication (e.g., senior authorship? junior authorship? methodologist? etc.). This
is not designed to discourage collaboration with colleagues at AU or at other research
institutions. It is designed solely to assess a candidate’s contribution to the research and
writing of the publication.
4. Emphasis in reviewing a file for action will be given to work completed while at
American University. For candidates bringing in substantial credit toward tenure, the
balance can be adjusted accordingly.
5. Evidence of a future research trajectory will be evaluated and be given considerable
weight.
6. If a publication is not already in print and a candidate wants it to be considered
relevant to assessing qualifications for tenure, the following guidelines must be met:
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a. If an article, a copy of the completed manuscript with a letter from the journal
editor must be provided stating when it will be published without substantial
revisions;
b. If a book or edited book, a copy of the completed manuscript must be provided
along with a letter from the publisher or editor stating that the manuscript will be
published without substantial revisions in less than twelve months from the date
of the written statement.
7. The date of submission of the file for action to the department is the last relevant date
for reporting publication of scholarship, other than updates regarding publication
acceptances of materials already referenced in the file (as provided in the CFA’s
“Instructions for Submitting Files for Action” at 2).
Teaching and Advising
Candidates for promotion and/or tenure are expected to be effective teachers. Teaching
includes not only formal classroom instruction but also advising and mentoring of students in
both required and concentration areas in our programs, including PhD students through the
examination and dissertation processes. Teaching may also include:
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Field and non-credit instruction
Supervision of research, student internships, professional practice, clinical
practice, and doctoral dissertations
Teaching executive program students
The improvement and enrichment of course offerings and other instructional
activities within the faculty member’s discipline or profession
Participation in interdisciplinary courses and other units of the university
Development of other instructional materials to enhance education in the faculty
member’s discipline or profession
A base level of expectation for all tenure-track and tenured faculty on teaching performance
includes consistently positive performance each year in each of the following:

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

Teach graduate courses as needed by the department (or undergraduate courses if
the department’s strategic plan takes it in this direction)
Courses must be designed to meet the curriculum of the department
Classroom materials must be up-to-date
Course outlines and syllabi must be provided for each course in a timely way
(e.g., ready before the beginning of any semester). These documents should
clearly state course objectives and relate those objectives to the students’ overall
preparation in the degree program (i.e., competencies for MPA, etc.)
Faculty members are expected to:
1. Prepare and present course activities in the classroom or online utilizing
accepted educational methods
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2. Be available to students for advising and consultation both in person and
online in a timely and responsive way
3. Provide students with information on how student performance in the class
will be evaluated; changes should be made rarely and not be made lightly.
4. Inform students in a timely fashion if they plan to change evaluation
criteria during the semester, why they are changing evaluation criteria, and
why students will not be adversely affected
5. Provide timely, fair, and objective numerical and substantive feedback on
their performance in the class during the semester and at the end of the
semester; grades must be posted in accordance with university policies and
procedures
6. Always treat students with courtesy and respect; all faculty must act in
accordance with student rights, including, but not limited to, academic
freedom and those rights as outlined in the student manual
Evidence of higher levels of teaching performance may include, but is not limited to, any
combination of the following sources:
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Honors or special recognitions for teaching accomplishments
Development or significant revision of programs and courses
Results of student evaluations and evidence of teaching accomplishments and/or
innovations
Peer evaluation of expertise in instruction
Publication activities related to teaching
Grants related to teaching
Election to offices, committee activities, and other important service to professional
associations and learned societies, including editorial work and peer review as
related to teaching
The evidence regarding teaching performance should demonstrate clearly that the faculty
member is strongly committed to becoming a highly effective teacher and adviser and is
likely to achieve that goal.
As members of a PhD granting department, public administration faculty are expected to
serve on dissertation committees and otherwise contribute to doctoral education.
Service
No department or university can properly fulfill its mission and responsibilities unless all
faculty are willing to devote time and effort to professional activity, committee activity,
program and coordination tasks, special projects, etc. The privileges associated with
faculty membership carry a reciprocal responsibility for periodic service to various
departmental, college, university, or external functions. A record of positive, consistent,
and engaged performance in department, college, university, professional, and/or
community service is requisite to a favorable tenure or promotion decision.
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
The department recognizes that the expectations associated with research, publication,
professional activities, and teaching reduce the departmental, school, and university
demands that should be made on non-tenured, tenure-track faculty. Accordingly,
department committee assignments and other service-associated activities must normally
be adjusted to reasonable amounts commensurate with a faculty member’s years in
service and progress toward P&T. The department chair should consult with faculty
mentoring committees in determining these allocations. Equally, a pre-tenure faculty
member should work with his/her mentoring committee and Chair to restrict service
activity beyond the department to those areas that will not affect performance in meeting
the expectations and requirements for research, publication, and teaching. Although some
record of service is expected of all candidates for tenure or promotion, it does not provide
sufficient basis for tenure or promotion in the absence of satisfactory performance in
teaching and research/publication, as specified above.
I. Promotion to Associate Professor
In addition to the expectations above, the following hold for promotion to Associate
Professor:
A. Research
Successful candidates for promotion to the rank of associate professor are expected to
demonstrate excellence in research, as well as the likelihood of continuing that excellence.
They do this by publishing high-quality scholarship in refereed outlets, by achieving
emerging recognition as nationally or internationally known experts in their fields of
specialization, and by producing evidence of a research program that is likely to continue in
the future, as well as by demonstrating effective performance in teaching and service.
The department also expects the scholarly records of candidates for P&T to associate
professor to:

Be recognized and reviewed favorably by members of the national and
international scholarly community in the candidate’s area(s) of specialization and
in the broader areas of public administration and policy.

Meet the norms for P&T that prevail at other leading schools of public
administration and policy (i.e., top ten programs).

Be consistent with the department mission.
B. Teaching
At the time of candidacy for P&T to associate professor, the evidence should demonstrate
unequivocally that the faculty member is an effective teacher and adviser of graduate
students in an interdisciplinary, graduate professional program.
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
Junior untenured faculty are advised to participate only minimally on dissertation and
examination committees. A more demanding role for a junior faculty member might be
necessary on occasions such as when a PhD student is conducting research closely linked
to the junior faculty member’s own research interest. But even in these instances, the
junior faculty member is advised not to assume more than a secondary role on a
dissertation committee if he or she was judged in the most recent annual review to have
serious teaching-advising or scholarly deficiencies.
A more demanding role as a member of one or more dissertation committees each year is
expected of an untenured faculty member as they approach the tenure decision—
especially if there are PhD students whose research can benefit from the special
competencies of the faculty member. But in no case is an untenured faculty member
expected to chair a dissertation committee, except under the most unusual circumstances.
Likewise, with increasing years of service, clear progress in meeting department
standards for teaching and scholarship is expected. Each untenured faculty member is
also expected to assume increasing responsibility for student advising in their areas of
specialization.
C. Service
The department recognizes that the expectations associated with research, publication,
professional activities, and teaching reduce the departmental, school, and university
demands that should be made on non-tenured, tenure-track faculty. Accordingly,
department committee assignments and other service-associated activities must normally
be adjusted to reasonable amounts commensurate with a faculty member’s years in
service and progress toward P&T. The department chair should consult with faculty
mentoring committees in determining these allocations. Equally, a pre-tenure faculty
member should work with his/her mentoring committee and Chair to restrict service
activity beyond the department to those areas that will not affect performance in meeting
the expectations and requirements for research, publication, and teaching. Although some
record of service is expected of all candidates for tenure or promotion, it does not provide
sufficient basis for tenure or promotion in the absence of satisfactory performance in
teaching and research/publication, as specified above.
II. Promotion to Full Professor
In addition to the expectations above, the following hold for promotion to Full Professor:
A. Research
Successful candidates for promotion to full professor are expected to demonstrate national
or international recognition as among the leading scholars in their areas of expertise and
exhibit strong likelihood of maintaining and enhancing that stature into the future.
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
A candidate for promotion to full professor should have consistently published articles of
high quality in respected refereed professional journals or books, and there should be
other demonstrable evidence that scholarly research activity is continuing. Scholarship,
including basic and applied research, means in-depth study in a specific field leading to
contributions to knowledge in that field. Scholarship—as measured by peer recognition
of its originality, impact on, and importance to the development of the field—is
demonstrated most typically by refereed publications, such as journal articles and books
of high quality, as well as citation rates of the candidate’s research, research awards, and
speaking invitations at other universities.
B. Teaching
For candidates for promotion to full professor, the evidence regarding teaching
performance should demonstrate clearly that the faculty member is a highly effective
teacher. Teaching includes not only formal classroom instruction but also advising and
mentoring of students in both required and concentration areas in our programs, including
PhD students through the examination and dissertation processes. Teaching may also include
activities mentioned in the general promotion criteria above in this section.
A base level of expectation for promotion to full professor on teaching performance includes
consistently positive performance each year in each of the following, as noted above:





Teach graduate courses as needed by the department (or undergraduate courses if
the department’s strategic plan takes it in this direction)
Courses must be designed to meet the curriculum of the department
Classroom materials must be up-to-date
Course outlines and syllabi must be provided for each course in a timely way
(e.g., ready before the beginning of any semester). These documents should
clearly state course objectives and relate those objectives to the students’ overall
preparation in the degree program (i.e., competencies for MPA, etc.)
Faculty members are expected to:
1. Prepare and present course activities in the classroom or online utilizing
accepted educational methods
2. Be available to students for advising and consultation both in person and
online in a timely and responsive way
3. Provide students with information on how student performance in the class
will be evaluated; changes should be made rarely and not be made lightly.
4. Inform students in a timely fashion if they plan to change evaluation
criteria during the semester, why they are changing evaluation criteria, and
why students will not be adversely affected
5. Provide timely, fair, and objective numerical and substantive feedback on
their performance in the class during the semester and at the end of the
semester; grades must be posted in accordance with university policies and
procedures
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
6. Always treat students with courtesy and respect; all faculty must act in
accordance with student rights, including, but not limited to, academic
freedom and those rights as outlined in the student manual
C. Service
A record of positive, consistent, and engaged performance in department, college,
university, professional, and/or community service is requisite to a favorable promotion
decision. To assure strong and effective faculty governance, tenured members of the
faculty have a special responsibility to contribute to the health of their department,
school, university, and profession. To merit promotion to the rank of full professor, a
candidate must therefore have a record of active and constructive contributions to faculty
governance at all levels of the university community, and to one’s discipline and
profession. The candidate should have a record that demonstrates a willingness and
ability to provide both service and leadership in service.
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
PART IV:
Processes and Criteria Governing Annual Merit Reviews
and Course Load Assignments
The DPAP Chair evaluates faculty performance on an annual basis and recommends
tenure-line faculty course loads to the Dean on a biannual basis. At his/her discretion, the
Chair may seek input from program directors and other faculty to assist in the review of
faculty performance. The Chair alone is responsible for making the department’s
recommendation to the Dean, both for annual merit review and for biannual course load
assignment. The Dean weighs the department’s recommendation along with the
recommendation of SPA’s Merit & Course Load (MCL) committee to make final
decisions.
I. Base Course Load
A. Tenure-Line Faculty
Tenure-line faculty are expected to teach four three-credit courses (or equivalent) each
year. Faculty may be assigned a different course load under the following circumstances:


Those with the title of Distinguished Professor teach three courses per year.
Tenured faculty who are four or more years post-tenure and who do not
demonstrate a consistent pattern of research productivity may be assigned up to
six three-credit courses (or equivalent). Under no circumstances will this be
applied to pre-tenure faculty or faculty who have been tenured within the past
four years.
B. Term Faculty
With some exceptions, term faculty are expected to teach six three-credit courses (or
equivalent) per year. Whenever possible, attempts will be made to minimize the required
number of course preparations. Course loads may vary depending on classification and
terms of a faculty member’s contract.
II. Merit and Course Load Criteria
The Chair will take into account the research, service, and teaching productivity of the
individual faculty member as outlined below. The Chair is afforded flexibility to
accommodate changing departmental needs; rankings of publication outlets; and rewards
for extraordinary teaching, service, scholarship accomplishments, or grant-writing
success. DPAP recognizes that no precise metric exists for making assignments or in
balancing teaching and service against publications. But consistent with promotion
standards, research publications and quality placements receive the highest emphasis.
1. Research Productivity (see Part III for specific research criteria involved in merit
and course load decisions)
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
The Chair assesses research productivity for purposes of evaluating performance and
making course load recommendations as follows:





Assessments are based on a three-year timeframe; the same timeframe is
expected to be used in the review by the MCL Committee and the Dean
In evaluating performance, only publications that have appeared in print
will be given consideration. However, course load recommendations will
take into account publications that are forthcoming, under review, or in
progress. A letter of acceptance from the editor or publisher may be
requested.
Both quantity and quality of publication placement are considered, with
impact a defining factor
Generally, scholarly books and peer-reviewed articles in leading
disciplinary, subfield, or policy areas are given more weight than book
chapters and other publications
Faculty members publishing in specialized fields (and their mentoring
committee if a non-tenured faculty member) need to inform the Chair in
writing of the ranking of affected journals or book publishers (e.g., ISI
citation ratings)
2. Teaching Productivity and Quality (see Part III for specific teaching criteria)
Teaching is evaluated primarily for the purpose of annual merit reviews and receives only
minimal consideration in recommending course loads. The Chair assesses teaching
productivity and quality in ways consistent with P&T standards (see above). In addition
to work in courses, the Chair may take into account non-course-based work such as
supervision of PhD students on dissertation committees, independent studies with both
masters and doctoral students, and other related factors. Only the previous year’s teaching
record is taken into account in merit reviews.
3. Service Productivity and Quality (see Part III for specific service criteria)
Service is evaluated primarily for the purpose of annual merit reviews and receives only
minimal consideration in recommending course loads. The Chair assesses prior service
productivity as follows:


Only the previous year’s service record is taken into account in merit
reviews.
A distinction is made between “major” service commitments (e.g., SPA
MCL, search committees, the Committee on Faculty Actions,
reaccreditation committees, and other major committees as determined by
the Chair) and “minor” service commitments, with two minor
commitments converting into one major commitment
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This does not constitute an employment contract.



Active participation in service commitments (major or minor) is required
to obtain credit, as evidenced by meeting attendance, voting, and
leadership positions assumed
Leadership positions (e.g., chairing committees) are afforded greater
weight than membership
Evaluation of junior faculty service performance follows guidelines
established elsewhere in this document
4. Relative Weights
Consistent with practice in top departments and schools of public affairs:



For tenure-line faculty, the Chair’s review will assign greater weight to research
over teaching and teaching over service in annual merit reviews; course load
recommendations will be made almost exclusively on the basis of research
productivity
Exceptions may be made for tenure-line faculty who teach more than four courses
per year, receive administrative course releases, and/or receive course buyouts
from external funding.
Term faculty will be evaluated on criteria specific to the individual, which may
include a mix of research, teaching, and service.
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This does not constitute an employment contract.
PART V:
Standards for Faculty Maintaining a “Campus Presence”
As the discussion of research, teaching, and service requirements in this document attests,
we understand that campus presence is important for a number of reasons: research
collaboration; shared program, curriculum, and pedagogical development responsibilities;
service to SPA and the university; and presence at DPAP, SPA, and university events.
Many of the criteria that we use in evaluating faculty service by necessity involve campus
presence and are tied to P&T, merit pay, and faculty workload assignments. Levels and
quality of participation in meeting the service criteria stipulated above are also applicable
in an evaluation of campus presence.
Among its institutional peers, DPAP has a reputation for accessibility to students. We
have a strong tradition of faculty involvement and collegial work. These are important
traditions that we wish to preserve. They are promoted by campus presence. In addition
to meeting classes, faculty should be accessible to students and physically present on
campus for sufficient periods of time to complete this work. When not on campus, faculty
should be available to students, colleagues, and staff via email. Faculty are also
encouraged to make use of Blackboard, Skype, Wimba, and other online tools for
communicating with students. We have found that students are not shy about expressing
their concerns about faculty access should it fall short of expectations, permitting us to
take action in cases involving individual misuse of discretion.
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